


I Got You

by Ninji



Series: in which some skeletons have a pet of sorts [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, everything is very vague so you can fill in some of your own details
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 15:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17664932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninji/pseuds/Ninji
Summary: After an anxiety attack inadvertently caused by Boss, the Protagonist has decided that it’s best she opens up about her past and why she functions the way she does.





	I Got You

**Author's Note:**

> is this a vent piece? probably, but i made it vague enough so everyone can enjoy
> 
> yeet yeet

Never did she actually think that she had to open up to everyone about her trauma.  She figured she would be able to avoid that entirely, maybe even leave that all behind once she moved in, but it just wasn’t that easy, because of course it’s not. Also because Boss is a hardass. 

 

They were at the mall when it started, all of them at a table in the food court, laughing and talking over their greasy, overly expensive lunch. She excused herself to use the restroom nearby (it’s a human necessity, she always tells them, but she’s still not quite sure they understand). She did what she had to do, adjusted her skirt, and walked out of the stalls and back into the loud and crowded food court.

 

On her way back to the table, a man stopped her. He told her she looked pretty, asked for her name, and mentioned wanting to get together sometime. She laughed nervously and nodded along, but something about the guy, under all his saccharine words and toothy smile, was too unsettling to ignore — she couldn't just say that, though. He was about the same age as her, but he was being too insistent for comfort. Her anxiety flared; she felt shaky, her chest became right, she wished he would just _stop_ _talking_ _to_ _her_. She glanced back at the table, hoping someone would come to save her. Luckily, Boss met her eyes, and soon arose from the table and walked over.

 

He stood tall, an immense seven feet of magical bone and disapprobation that could have anyone trembling in their shoes. For her though, it meant a saving grace, so she trotted to his side and grasped his gloved hand tightly in hers.

 

Boss tore into the man with his knifelike words, reprimanding him for making her uncomfortable and not taking the hint that she wasn't interested. A few bystanders stared, but she tried not to notice, instead focusing on the pants-wettingly terrified look on the man’s face and how he cowered away with his tail between his legs when Boss told him to piss off. 

 

The skeleton looked down at her and asked if she was okay, and when she replied yes, the remainder of the mall outing occurred without incident — until they got home.

 

She figured maybe Boss was just in a bad mood because of the guy. He was more prickly and curt than usual, so she tried not to bother him, but shortly after they arrived home, he snapped.

 

“Why can’t you take care of yourself?”

 

She froze at his words, first in shock, then in confusion, and then finally in fear, all within the span of maybe two seconds. Before she could ask what he meant he continued, exclaiming how he's not always going to be there to protect her, that she needs to learn to stand up for herself, to not be such a weak pushover.

 

As he continued to take out his anger on her she found that she couldn't move nor speak, only able to stand there, shaking, cowering in fear at his words and his volume. Her breathing picked up again, tears streamed down her cheeks, and Boss finally stopped when she choked out a sob.

 

She couldn't remember much else, or who spoke to her before flight or fight took over and she fled to her room. Now she buried her face in her bed, sobbing in the darkness of the late winter evening, any attempt at evening out her breathing proving futile. She kept thinking about Boss, how ~~terrifying~~ angry he was, how loud his voice rang throughout the room and felt like it was closing in, suffocating and constricting her. Her entire body was wracked with tremors that shook her to her very core.

 

 

 

A knock sounded on the bedroom door, soft and hesitant. Without even waiting for an answer, the door opened and in walked Red, his scarlet pupils glowing in the darkness; apparently she had closed her curtains when she ran up here. He made his way to her bed, calling her name quietly.

 

“babygirl, i’m comin’ up behind ya.” he warned, proceeding when she didn’t protest. He pat her shoulder as gently as he could manage. “babe. talk to me. wassamatta?”

 

She shook her head wordlessly, not even removing it from the tear- and drool-soaked pillow. Red sighed, sitting up and stroking her back. “c’mon, tell me what’s up. is it because you don’t wanna talk?”

 

She shook her head again. Red nodded, even though there really was no way for her to tell.

 

“Is it because you can’t talk?”

 

She nodded, sniffling.

 

“i gotcha,” Red purred softly. “y’alright if i hold you?”

 

Upon seeing her nod again, this time slightly more frantic, he gently pulled her from the pillow, revealing her reddened face. He wiped her tears and snot away with his sleeve (no big deal, he thinks, he’s been covered in worse) and let her cry into his chest, resting his skull atop her head. One odd thing about her is, where most people people would panic while being touched during an attack like this, she relies on touches and tight hugs to ground her and calm her down. This isn’t the first time Red’s seen her have an anxiety attack, so he’s pretty sure of what he’s doing and how to pacify her, even if only a little bit.

 

He whispered soft reassurances and loving words until her sobs and hiccups stopped, her shaking decreased, and her breathing evened out. At one point he was sure she had fallen asleep — episodes like these always take a lot of energy out of her — but was proven wrong when she whispered into his chest.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Red paused. “whattaya sorry for, princess?”

 

“...I don’t know.” She sounded weak and dejected, and Red’s soul ached.

 

“ya don’t gotta apologize for anything, doll. ya didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

“Then why did Boss yell at me?” She lifted herself just a bit to look into his red pupils with despondency.

 

The skeleton sighed and hugged her close. “listen. where boss n’ i are from, things are... not as bright n’ happy as they are here. ya had to do what ya had to do to survive, and ya couldn’t sugarcoat things like that because that would lead to gettin’ yaself hurt, or even killed. gettin’ treated harshly by those ya love could save ya life. ‘ts ingrained into our skulls at this point. him n’ i are tryna break that mindset, but he still has problems with that.

 

“when he saw how uncomfortable you were with that guy flirtin’ with you, he kinda assumed the worst was gonna happen. i know for a fact he didn’t mean to hurt ya like that.”

 

She nodded silently. Red waited for her to say more, but she kept quiet. He sighed.

 

“y’also gotta keep in mind that boss has a high LV, even higher than mine. and when your LV gets too high, sometimes it starts t’fuck with ya. boss has anger issues cuz’a it. and when he gets worked up it’s really hard to regain control of himself. him an’ i have a sort of routine to follow when it happens, and it usually works out.”

 

She grimaced. That’s exactly what she was afraid of. She definitely didn’t want to witness him losing control of his emotions — just the thought of it is enough to send chills down her spine.

 

Red exhaled slowly, petting her back. yu “babydoll , i know somethin’ else is up. c’mon, y’can tell me.”

 

She hugged him tightly and whispered, “It’s something I have to talk to everyone about. I can’t hide it forever.”

 

“aight, then. do that when you’re ready,” Red leaned back with her still flush against his sternum, lifting his hand to comb his distal phalanges through her hair, paying special attention to her scalp. She melted against him like a warm marshmallow at the attention. “there’s no need to rush. take your time...” his voice dropped lower and lower, the rumble of his bass soothing the girl, and soon enough she slipped into a restful sleep.

 

It wasn’t until later that evening that she awoke, still cuddling Red’s chest like she barely moved at all in her sleep. The room was dark, and a glance at the digital clock on her desk told her that it was almost time for supper.

 

Red grunted in his sleep when she pat his sternum. “Red... Red, wake up.”

 

“hm,” he grunted again, a dimly lit pupil peeking through one of his sockets.

 

“We should probably get supper. And maybe... let them know I’m okay?”

 

“y’sure ya wanna go down there?” his voice was soft and gruff from sleep.

 

The girl nodded silently. Red pulled himself out of the comfort of her bed and held her hand, walking out into the hallway.

 

Downstairs, Papyrus was busy instructing Blue on how to create one of their mate’s favorite pasta dishes. The fragrance of garlic and olive oil filled the entire bottom floor without being too overbearing; it was one of her top favorite smells, and they (mostly Boss) usually only made the dish when she was sick or for special occasions. Stretch and Sans sat at the dinner table playing their eighth round of tic-tac-toe — scribbled on some junkmail, of course — and Boss sat on the couch in the living room. The television wasn’t turned on or anything, he just sat there quietly, lost in thought.

 

His mind kept replaying the moment he noticed the look of intense fear in her eyes. Against his better judgement, he kept berating her even when she began shaking in fear. That should have been a dead giveaway that maybe it was time for Boss to lay off, but he didn’t listen to himself. He was angry with himself, and while a niggling thought in the back of his skull suggested that maaaybe she shouldn’t have been so sensitive and quick to cry, he squashed it down with disgust. How he loathed being this way.

 

Boss was so deep inside of his own head that he hadn’t notice his mate approached him until she gingerly grasped both of his hands in hers, kissed them both, then held them to her chest.

 

“I’m not mad at you.”

 

The skeleton blinked. She continued, “My reaction was kind of... not normal, and I know there was no real way of knowing that I was going to run away and have a panic attack. Red came and talked to me and helped shed light on things.”

 

Boss, surprised that she was able to approach him so easily, couldn’t bring himself to say anything other than a simple “I apologize.”

 

She kissed his hands again. “And I forgive you.” This time she leaned forward and kissed his frontal bone, soft, sweet, and quick. “Come eat supper.”

 

He nodded, then watched her go with his brother to the kitchen.

 

Sans smiled in relief upon seeing her and Red walking into the kitchen. “hey, there she is.”

 

“how ya feeling, honey?” Stretch asked. He outstretched his arm in an invitation for a tight hug, and she was quick to accept.

 

“I’m better, thank you,” she whispered softly, timidly giggling when he kissed her temple. Her attention drew to Papyrus by the stove. “Are you guys making — ?”

 

“Of course!” the boisterous skeleton interrupted. “We think that you deserve only the best of the best today.”

 

“And it was a good opportunity for Papyrus to teach me how to make it,” Blue smiled, a hint of cyan dusting his zygoma.

 

“That’s... really sweet of you both. Thank you.”

 

Red came up from behind and pat her shoulder. “go on and sit down, sweetheart. food’ll be ready soon.”

 

Boss didn’t enter the kitchen until the food was already being plated. He was uncharacteristically quiet, muttering only a thank you when his portion was given to him by Papyrus.

 

If she was going to be honest, it hurt to see him like this. He obviously felt incredibly guilty about what happened. As soon as everyone was seated in their usual spots, she took a deep breath.

 

“So... I think maybe I should... probably explain what happened?” She spoke, drawing everyone’s attention to her. She dropped her fork and began to gesture vaguely with her hands. “Because it happened because of uh, things, a-and it could very well happen again if I don’t explain, ah, why it... happened...”

 

“y’sure you’re able to talk about it?” Sans asked, the question laced with a drop of skepticism.

 

Blue nodded. “Yeah, if it’s too stressful then —“

 

“No, I gotta tell you all because if I don’t, this could happen again. It’s not an uncommon thing to raise our voices at others, y’know? so...” She took another deep breath. “Sorry, I kinda...”

 

“take your time, hun,” Stretch reassured. He pat the top of her head lovingly.

 

She finally opened up, telling her mates about what happened before they met her, how she was treated, and the lasting effect it would leave on her psyche. About the panic attacks, paranoia, and the numerous psychologist visits. About the medicine she takes to prevent unnecessary breakdowns, and about her numerous triggers and how to avoid them. Once the words left her mouth they wouldn’t stop, and a few times she had to be reminded to slow down because she kept tripping over her words. At one point, her voice was so shaky that Blue stood and wrapped his arms around her from behind her chair, but she still didn’t cry. Honestly, she was amazed at how well she was doing, and how she was able to keep herself from sobbing.

 

“Also, uh because of all of that, I don’t do well with getting yelled at. Especially by men.” She glanced at Boss with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, just... aaaah, talking about it is hard.”

 

Sans reached to pat her shoulder. “that’s okay, you’re doing a good job. we’re proud of you, kid.”

 

“I appreciate that,” she told him with a hint of a smile.

 

Throughout dinner, everyone kept their eye sockets on her, listening attentively. Most of them ate their meal as they listened, but the girl’s food only had a few bites taken out of it, already cold. Papyrus offered to reheat it for her but she declined, stating that she wasn’t too hungry but will eat the leftovers later on.

 

Eventually everyone finished eating and Papyrus gathered up everyone’s dishes to wash. She offered to stick around and help rinse them and towel them dry, but he declined. Once he left the table, all the other skeletons filed out of the kitchen, some saying their goodnights and others with promises that they’ll be awake until later tonight.

 

She and Boss were the only ones left at the table.

 

With a soft exhale through her nose, she scooted her chair back and walked over to Boss, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He responded in turn with a reassuring squeeze to her arm. “I had no idea.”

 

“But now you do,” she whispered, kissing his parietal bone on the side of his skull. “Will you be okay? Do you wanna hang out for a bit? You still seem really upset.”

 

The imposing skeleton laughed dryly as he sat up and pushed his chair under the table. “I think I should be the one asking you,” He said. “Even after you’ve been hurt you’ve still got it in you to make sure others are happy. I shouldn’t have expected any less from a green soul.”

 

She smiled warmly. “I love you. Don’t forget that.”

 

“I love you too.” He rubbed her head affectionately, then pulled her into a hug — something he rarely ever initiates. “You’re a lot stronger than I expected. You’ve been through so much and you still are able to trust others so easily. I don’t know how you do it.”

 

She shrugged, nuzzling her nose into his ribs through his shirt. “It just comes naturally, I guess. I never thought twice about trusting you guys. I just... did. And I don’t regret it. And I don’t regret telling you guys everything either, just in case you’re wondering.”

 

Boss hummed. “I wasn’t doubting that in the slightest. Would you like to come accompany me while I read? I could use some companionship.”

 

She nodded happily. “I’d love to.”

 

 

While she and Boss made their way upstairs, Red popped into existence once again, having heard they’re entire conversation. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop (what a lie) but he wanted so make sure they were okay. He’s never seen Boss so torn up about a mistake he’s made. It’s obvious that he loves her very much.

 

Red smiled to himself. He was in a good mood knowing that his brother would be okay.

 

He walked over to the sink. “hey creampuff,” he greeted Papyrus. “y’need some help with that?”

 

“Oh Red, what a pleasant surprise!” Papyrus beamed. “I would love your help, here, you can dry off the dishes and put them away.”

 

Red nodded and took the towel from him. “you got it, sugar.”

**Author's Note:**

> writing....hard....glng fbdnf (gurgles)
> 
> my tumblr (deserted wasteland): niinji.tumblr.com
> 
> my twitter: @ninjibinji
> 
> thank you for reading!!


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